Sociedad Estatal de Correos y Telégrafos, S.A., S.M.E. (lit. 'State Postal and Telegraph Company'), trading under the name Correos (, "packages"), is a state-owned postal service and courier for Spain and Andorra, the latter bilateral with French-equivalent La Poste. Based in Madrid, it is one of the largest postal services in the world. Across Spain, it has more than 53,000 employees, over 10,000 branches and sends 5.4 billion pieces of mail each year.
Correos dates back to 1716, a dynasty change in Spain ended the tradition of giving the duty to take care of postal services to notable families. On 8 July 1716, King Philip V appointed Juan Tomás de Goyeneche as Chief Superintendent and General Administrator of the Postal Offices, making the State responsible postal services.
The company is 100% state owned, through the SEPI Group. Its subsidiaries are Correos Express (express mail); Correos Nexea (business to business communication and document management services) and Correos Telecom for telecommunication infrastructure.
History
One of the great developments in postal history during the nineteenth century was the invention of the postage stamp for the payment of shipments. The first stamps were issued in the United Kingdom, but many countries began soon after. In Spain, the first stamps were implemented on 1 January 1850, with face values ranging from 6 quarters for simple letters to 10 real for heavier certificates and international items.